Judah’s King Azariah

15 In the twenty-seventh year of Israel’s King Jeroboam, Azariah^[a](A) son of Amaziah became king of Judah.^{(B) 2} He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ³ Azariah did what was right in the Lord’s sight^(C) just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁴ Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.^(D)

⁵ The Lord afflicted the king, and he had a serious skin disease until the day of his death.^(E) He lived in quarantine,^[b](F) while Jotham,^(G) the king’s son, was over the household governing the people of the land.^(H)

⁶ The rest of the events of Azariah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{(I) 7} Azariah rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Jotham became king in his place.^(J)

Israel’s King Zechariah

⁸ In the thirty-eighth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Zechariah^(K) son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. ⁹ He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight as his predecessors had done.^(L) He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^(M)

¹⁰ Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against Zechariah. He struck him down publicly,^[c] killed him, and became king in his place.^{(N) 11} As for the rest of the events of Zechariah’s reign, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.^{(O) 12} The word of the Lord that he spoke to Jehu was, “Four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel,”^(P) and it was so.

Israel’s King Shallum

¹³ In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Uzziah,^[d] Shallum son of Jabesh became king; he reigned in Samaria^(Q) a full month. ¹⁴ Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah^(R) to Samaria and struck down Shallum son of Jabesh there. He killed him and became king in his place. ¹⁵ As for the rest of the events of Shallum’s reign, along with the conspiracy that he formed, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

Israel’s King Menahem

¹⁶ At that time, starting from Tirzah, Menahem attacked Tiphsah,^(S) all who were in it, and its territory because they wouldn’t surrender.^(T) He ripped open all the pregnant women.^(U)

¹⁷ In the thirty-ninth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. ¹⁸ He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. Throughout his reign, he did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^(V)

¹⁹ King Pul^[e](W) of Assyria invaded the land, so Menahem gave Pul seventy-five thousand pounds^[f] of silver so that Pul would support him to strengthen his grasp on the kingdom.^{(X) 20} Then Menahem exacted twenty ounces^[g] of silver from each of the prominent men of Israel to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria withdrew and did not stay there in the land.^(Y)

²¹ The rest of the events of Menahem’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings. ²² Menahem rested with his ancestors, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.^(Z)

Israel’s King Pekahiah

²³ In the fiftieth year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. ²⁴ He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^(AA)

²⁵ Then his officer, Pekah^(AB) son of Remaliah, conspired against him^(AC) and struck him down in Samaria at the citadel of the king’s palace^(AD)—with Argob and Arieh.^[h] There were fifty Gileadite men with Pekah. He killed Pekahiah and became king in his place.

²⁶ As for the rest of the events of Pekahiah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

Israel’s King Pekah

²⁷ In the fifty-second year of Judah’s King Azariah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned twenty years. ²⁸ He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He did not turn away from the sins Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.

²⁹ In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser^(AE) of Assyria came and captured Ijon,^(AF) Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee—all the land of Naphtali^(AG)—and deported the people to Assyria.^(AH)

³⁰ Then Hoshea^(AI) son of Elah organized a conspiracy against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked him, killed him,^(AJ) and became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah.

³¹ As for the rest of the events of Pekah’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, they are written in the Historical Record of Israel’s Kings.

Judah’s King Jotham

³² In the second year of Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah, Jotham^(AK) son of Uzziah became king of Judah. ³³ He was twenty-five years old when he became king,^(AL) and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. ³⁴ He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Uzziah had done.^{(AM) 35} Yet the high places were not taken away; the people continued sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.

Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord’s temple.^{(AN) 36} The rest^(AO) of the events of Jotham’s reign, along with all his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.^{(AP) 37} In those days the Lord began sending Aram’s King Rezin and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah.^{(AQ) 38} Jotham rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David.^(AR) His son Ahaz became king in his place.

Judah’s King Uzziah

26 All the people^(A) of Judah took Uzziah,^[a] who was sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. ² After Amaziah the king rested with his ancestors, Uzziah rebuilt Eloth^[b](B) and restored it to Judah.

³ Uzziah was sixteen years old^(C) when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem. ⁴ He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his father Amaziah had done. ⁵ He sought God^(D) throughout the lifetime of Zechariah, the teacher of the fear^[c](E) of God. During the time that he sought the Lord, God gave him success.^(F)

Uzziah’s Exploits

⁶ Uzziah went out to wage war against the Philistines,^(G) and he tore down the wall of Gath, the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod. Then he built cities in the vicinity of Ashdod and among the Philistines. ⁷ God helped him against the Philistines, the Arabs that live in Gur-baal, and the Meunites. ⁸ The Ammonites^[d] paid tribute to Uzziah,^(H) and his fame spread as far as the entrance of Egypt, for God made him very powerful. ⁹ Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the Corner Gate,^(I) the Valley Gate,^(J) and the corner buttress, and he fortified them. ¹⁰ Since he had many cattle both in the Judean foothills^[e] and the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many wells.^(K) And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands.^[f]

¹¹ Uzziah had an army equipped for combat that went out to war by division according to their assignments, as recorded by Jeiel the court secretary and Maaseiah the officer under the authority of Hananiah, one of the king’s commanders. ¹² The total number of family heads was 2,600 valiant warriors. ¹³ Under their authority was an army of 307,500 equipped for combat, a powerful force to help the king against the enemy.^{(L) 14} Uzziah provided the entire army with shields, spears, helmets, armor, bows, and slingstones. ¹⁵ He made skillfully designed devices in Jerusalem to shoot arrows and catapult large stones for use on the towers and on the corners. So his fame spread even to distant places, for he was wondrously helped until he became strong.

Uzziah’s Disease

¹⁶ But when he became strong, he grew arrogant,^(M) and it led to his own destruction. He acted unfaithfully against the Lord his God by going into the Lord’s sanctuary to burn incense on the incense altar.^{(N) 17} The priest Azariah,^(O) along with eighty brave priests of the Lord, went in after him. ¹⁸ They took their stand^(P) against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord^(Q)—only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense.^(R) Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.”

¹⁹ Uzziah, with a firepan in his hand to offer incense, was enraged. But when he became enraged with the priests, in the presence of the priests in the Lord’s temple beside the altar of incense, a skin disease^(S) broke out on his forehead. ²⁰ Then Azariah the chief priest and all the priests turned to him and saw that he was diseased on his forehead. They rushed him out of there. He himself also hurried to get out because the Lord had afflicted him. ²¹ So King Uzziah was diseased to the time of his death.^(T) He lived in quarantine^[g](U) with a serious skin disease and was excluded from access to the Lord’s temple, while his son Jotham was over the king’s household governing the people of the land.

²² Now the prophet Isaiah^(V) son of Amoz wrote about the rest of the events of Uzziah’s reign, from beginning to end. ²³ Uzziah rested with his ancestors, and he was buried with his ancestors in the burial ground of the kings’ cemetery,^(W) for they said, “He has a skin disease.” His son Jotham became king in his place.

1 The vision^(A) concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah^(B) son of Amoz saw during the reigns^[a] of Kings Uzziah,^(C) Jotham,^(D) Ahaz,^(E) and Hezekiah^(F) of Judah.^(G)

Judah on Trial

Purification of Jerusalem